Washington, DC – Across America, the amount of time women waited to have an abortion dropped, while the average price of an abortion rose. These trends were documented during an annual survey of abortion facilities conducted by Operation Rescue.

The survey took place from November 27-December 15, 2017. Using a number of investigative methods, each abortion facility was directly contacted. Facility personnel voluntarily verified that abortions were available, and shared information on abortion pricing and wait times, although they were not aware the information was going to Operation Rescue.

Wait times decreased

Despite dire predictions from the Abortion Cartel that pro-life legislation would result in increased wait times for abortions, the opposite is actually true. In 2017, the national average time a woman waited to get an abortion was 7.7 days. That represents a decrease from 2015, when the national average time waited for an abortion was 8.5 days.

Wait times were measured from the day a caller initially contacted an abortion facility for an appointment, until the day when the abortion would have taken place.

This year, at surgical facilities, women waited an average of 6.85 days for a surgical abortion, and 6.38 days to get a medication abortion at a surgical facility.

In contrast, women were required to wait 9.33 days — nearly three days longer — to get a medication abortion at facilities that offered only that type.

Two states with the longest waiting times for abortion appointments were West Virginia at 25 days, and Montana at 23.5 days. This likely reflects that low demand for abortion in those states, making it unprofitable to schedule abortions with greater frequency.

Two states with the shortest wait times were Vermont, which would conduct an abortion on a woman the day after her initial phone call, and Nevada, with an average wait of 1.2 days.

Many abortion facility scheduling receptionists – primarily with Planned Parenthood affiliates — refused to answer questions about the abortions or inform callers when abortion appointments were available. Instead, the schedulers insisted that women go through a lengthy phone interview that required providing detailed personal and health information. After the interview, women would then be given a preliminary appointment.

Women were told that they would have questions answered at the preliminary appointment. Only then would they be told when their abortions were scheduled.

This convoluted appointment practice had the effect of keeping abortion customers in the dark. It demeaned the callers by treating them with suspicion, and denied them information that was important for decision-making. One scheduler admitted that the extra appointment and level of secrecy was to prevent pro-life protesters from finding out when abortions were taking place.

“As much as the abortionists complain about state mandated reflection periods and other pro-life laws, Planned Parenthood facilities across the nation are actually the ones making women jump through a complex series of hoops before they can even receive answers to their questions about abortion. This paranoia actually works in our favor, and likely helps save lives,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

Abortion prices rose

Operation Rescue has included first trimester abortion pricing in its survey for the past three years. Overall, the national average cost of an early abortion has steadily increased since 2015. In 2017, women paid an average of $595.67 for a first trimester abortion. This this reflects a three percent price hike over what women paid just two years ago.

Surgical abortions up to 12 weeks were the costliest of early abortion methods, averaging $616.16 nationally in 2017. Yet, that price was down about 2% since last year.

Medication abortions, (generally done through 9-10 weeks), received at clinics that also conducted surgical abortions have held firm in price at $579 since 2015.

However, there has been a dramatic price increase for medication abortions received from facilities that only dispense abortion drugs. In 2017, the national average cost of an abortion at a medication-only facility was $592, up about 6% since 2015.

This means that medication abortion facilities not only make women wait longer for their abortions, but also charge them more.

This price increase was ironic since, in many states, the abortion pill-only facilities have lower overhead and are able to avoid licensing requirements that may drive up prices. Some states, such as California, have attempted to reduce costs even farther by allowing non-physicians to prescribe abortion drugs. Medication abortion-only facilities have been favored by abortion businesses, particularly Planned Parenthood, as a stated means of keeping abortion costs down, but data shows that these facilities are actually driving up the price of an abortion.

Abortion prices varied, sometimes greatly, from state to state.

The two states with the highest average price for a first trimester surgical abortion were Massachusetts and Wyoming. Massachusetts’ average surgical abortion cost $1,223.30, while in Wyoming, the average surgical abortion fee was $1,099.00. The two states with the lowest price for surgical abortions were the District of Columbia at $410, and Maryland at $419.

The two states with the highest average cost of a medication abortion at a medication-only facility were Alaska at $800, and Colorado at $791.20. Maryland had the lowest average price for a medication abortion in the nation at $384.80, followed by Pennsylvania at $445.

“This is another case where Planned Parenthood is ‘talking north and walking south.’ There is obviously exploitative profit-taking occurring at the medication abortion-only facilities, where overhead is the lowest,” said Newman. “For Planned Parenthood, it is always about the money.”

The new data shows that abortion facility numbers continue to shrink at the same time that abortion wait times are dropping. This debunks the notion that fewer abortion facilities will lead to higher wait times.

Meanwhile, the price of an abortion is rising most in the area where there is the least overhead. This shows clearly that pro-life legislation is not necessarily the lone factor in driving up abortion prices. In fact, according to the new data, greed is a primary factor that is driving up prices and increasing profits for abortion businesses.

“Our data reflects the most accurate numbers available for abortion costs and wait times,” said Newman. “The data exposes the deceptive rhetoric of the Abortion Cartel, which has resorted to lies and exploitation to keep their failing businesses afloat. The truth is that more and more women are rejecting abortion in favor of life – and that has the Abortion Cartel running scared.”

There was also some movement between categories. Fourteen surgical abortion facilities now only conduct medication abortions, while five medication abortion facilities added surgical abortions.

These encouraging statistics and more were verified through an annual survey of abortion facilities conducted by Operation Rescue staff, this year with the assistance of Abortion Free New Mexico.

“Operation Rescue’s annual surveys provide the most complete and accurate picture of abortion facilities available — straight from the horse’s mouth,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.

Methods

Each year, Operation Rescue surveys each abortion facility in the U.S. using a number of investigative methods. Each facility was directly contacted. Abortion facility personnel voluntarily verified that abortions were available, and shared information on abortion pricing and wait times, although they were not aware the information was going to Operation Rescue.

By the Numbers

In 2017, there are 704 abortion facilities remaining in the U.S. Of these, 490 offer surgical abortions, often along with medication abortions. There are 214 facilities that offer only medication abortions.

Forty-five percent of all states had at least one abortion facility that closed or halted all abortion services this year.

Surgical abortion clinics decreased in number by 26% since 2009, the first year Operation Rescue began keeping records. Overall, there has been a 17% decrease in the total number of abortion facilities in America since 2009.

Since 1991, when there were 2,176 active surgical abortion facilities, only 23% of that number of surgical clinics are operating today.

“Pill Mills”

Abortion facilities that offer only abortion-inducing drugs, also known by pro-life activists as “pill mills,” held steady at the same number as in 2016. Closures balanced evenly with new opens and clinics that dropped surgical abortions in favor of the abortion pills.

Medication abortions involve a two-drug cocktail comprised of Mifepristone, also known as the RU486 Abortion Pill, and Misoprostol, a drug that causes strong and often unpredictable uterine contractions. A very small number of facilities provide medication abortions via injection of Methotraxate, a chemotherapy drug that causes abortions, albeit much less efficiently than the Abortion Pill cocktail.

“Abortion facilities that provide only abortion drugs comprise an increasing slice of an ever-shrinking piece of the abortion pie,” said Newman. “While surgical facilities are closing at an impressive rate, pill mills are holding their own.

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood reduced its number of abortion facilities by consolidating services into fewer locations. In 2016, Planned Parenthood operated 354 facilities that conducted abortions. Today, there are a total of 347 Planned Parenthood facilities that offer abortions. Of those, 160 are surgical abortion facilities, and 187 provide only medication abortions.

Not counting Planned Parenthood’s vast – but shrinking – network of referral clinics that do not offer abortions, Planned Parenthood facilities now account for 49% of all abortion facilities in the U.S. Nevertheless, they only account for 30.6% of all abortions done in the U.S.

Reopened

A handful of facilities that were closed by their states that reopened in 2017. For example, in Texas, of the 20 abortion facilities were forced to close in 2013 for failure to comply with new abortion safety regulations, three reopened this year after the U.S. Supreme Court that negated parts of that safety law. However, 17 of the original 20 abortion clinics that shut down remain closed.

Why Abortion Facilities Close

One reason abortion clinics are closing is due to a decreased demand for abortions. There appears to be a correlation between clinics closing and a decrease in abortion numbers. According to the CDC, abortion numbers have been dropping steadily since 2005. The CDC’s 2014 Abortion Surveillance report indicated that from 2005 to 2014, among 48 areas that reported every year during this period, the total number of reported abortions decreased 21%, the abortion rate decreased 22%, and the abortion ratio decreased 21%. A comparable decrease of in abortion clinic numbers — 17% — has been tracked by Operation Rescue from 2009-2017.

Some facilities have not been able to compete in an ever-shrinking abortion market and have been forced to downside or shut down. At the same time, when abortion facilities close, abortion numbers decrease even more.

• Germantown Reproductive Health Services and Prince George’s Reproductive Health Services in Maryland: The Germantown facility employed late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart, and was one of the nation’s few abortion centers that would abort babies throughout all nine months of pregnancy. When the Maryland Coalition for Life purchased the building earlier this year, the deal also included the closure of the Prince George’s facility, which was operated by the same owners. That was two closures for the price of one!
• The Office of Robert Santella in San Diego, CA: This abortionist was forced to surrender his medical license after the California Medical Board determined he engaged in unprofessional conduct during a demonic rant outside another San Diego facility where he worked. The incident, which included Santella threatening a pro-life activist with a pair of surgical scissors, was caught on video, which went viral on YouTube.com.
• Planned Parenthood of Metro DC in Silver Spring, MD: A pro-life campaign to close this facility succeeded when the Planned Parenthood’s landlord refused to renew its lease. Public pressure works!
• Hillcrest Women’s Medical Center, Harrisburg, PA: This facility was ordered to close by the state in June 2017, after gross violations were found during an annual licensing inspection.
• Bossier City Medical Suite, Bossier City, LA: This facility was in the middle of a lawsuit challenging abortion licensing requirements that it could not meet when it suddenly closed its doors. Pro-life activists rejoiced at the sight of a moving van outside the seed abortion facility in April.

“We rejoice that the abortion cartel is imploding and closing down. We are making progress. But they are not going down without a fight,” said Troy Newman. “We continue to work and pray that we will soon see an end to abortion in our nation. Let’s stop the killing and, in the words of President Donald Trump, make America great again!”

Albuquerque, NM – A woman has died as the result of a late-term abortion process initiated at Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO), in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is the largest abortion facility in the U.S. that openly specializes in abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

Abortion Free New Mexico obtained the autopsy report for Keisha Marie Atkins, 23, who died on February 4, 2017, after being transported from SWO to UNM Hospital. Tara Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico has also been in communication with members of Atkins’ family.

Operation Rescue is assisting Abortion Free New Mexico with an investigation of this tragedy.

This abortion-related death is particularly troubling in light of a criminal investigation that is currently underway by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office into Southwestern Women’s Options and UNM. UNM has aggressively worked to increase second and third trimester abortions at SWO, which, in turn, is UNM’s largest provider of aborted baby tissue and organs. A U.S. House investigation found this arrangement violates state and federal law, despite stonewalling and obfuscation on the part of UNM and SWO.

Atkins reported to SWO on January 31, 2017, for a four day late-term abortion procedure that was to be done by eighty-year old abortion facility owner Curtis Boyd. It is believed that Atkins was six months pregnant or more.

Four days later, on February 3, 2017, Atkins returned to SWO for the completion of the abortion where she displayed labored breathing and signs of sepsis, a systemic, life-threatening infection.

At 12:04 p.m. on February 3, an ambulance was called to transport Atkins to the hospital, but was later cancelled, raising questions of how and when Atkins actually received emergency medical help.

Once at the UNM Medical Center, Atkins’ condition deteriorated rapidly, prompting UNM staff to perform an emergency D&E abortion procedure to remove her baby through dismemberment.

During the procedure, Atkins suffered cardiac arrest. Efforts to revive her were unsuccessful, and she was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. on February 4, 2017.

An autopsy was conducted at the UNM Health Sciences Center by the UNM Office of the Medical Investigator, which also serves as the Bernadillo County Coroner. The OMI determined that Atkins cause of death was “pulmonary thromboembolism due to pregnancy,” in other words, blood clots in the lungs.

However, a careful review of the autopsy findings indicates that this cause of death is a whitewash meant to blame Atkins’ pregnancy for her death instead of what appears to be a mismanaged late-term abortion procedure.

“UNM is a biased promoter of abortion that is attempting to shift blame onto Atkins’ pregnancy, instead of the abortion, where the blame rightfully belongs,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “Keisha Atkins and her family deserve the truth, not a cover-up. But with UNM and SWO, covering up their misdeeds has become standard operating procedure.”

There is evidence that Atkins suffered from sepsis, a bacterial infection caused by the four-day abortion process, which brought about symptoms consistent with Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC). Atkins suffered hemorrhaging in her brain and left adrenal gland, a buildup of fluid around her lungs, and other symptoms of DIC that the autopsy ignored.

Pro-life leaders believe there is a way to keep other women from suffering Atkins’ fate.

“We call on the New Mexico Attorney General to step up their criminal investigation, and we call on the State Medical Board to take a hard, honest look at Keisha Atkins’ death,” Newman said. “Curtis Boyd should be stopped from practicing, and the dangerous Southwestern Women’s Options should be shut down for good.”

“Coverups are as heinous as the crimes, and the crimes of the abortion cartel in New Mexico have been covered up for too many years. It is time for Hector Balderas to do his job or resign. It is time for the UNM Regents to do their jobs or resign. It is time for the New Mexico Medical Board to fully investigate Keisha’s death without bias,” said Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, The Protest Priest.

“We join the family of Keisha Atkins as they grieve her death from serious complications during a late term abortion at Southwestern Women’s Options. She was a 23-year old vibrant woman with her whole life ahead of her that was tragically cut short,” stated Tara Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico. “For years we have worked to expose the barbaric nature of late term abortion in New Mexico and sought to bring accountability to the unregulated and unaccountable Abortion Cartel. Now more than ever, we need leadership in our city and state to take a bold stand and the necessary steps to prevent the needless deaths of women and their children through late term abortion.”

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” -Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Who is Steven Chase Brigham?

Steven Chase Brigham is a disgraced New Jersey abortionist who, despite having no valid medical license in any state, continues to operate a chain of at least 13 abortion facilities, primarily under the American Women’s Services banner. His known abortion operations span Maryland, New Jersey, Florida, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Operation Rescue considers him the worst living abortionist in America that is not currently incarcerated.

Understanding him and how his abortion chain operates is important. Since his shady practices are frequently employed by other abortion providers, awareness of Brigham’s schemes can bring new insights into the inner workings of the Abortion Cartel as a whole.

Brigham has a 30-year history of disciplinary action and run-ins with the law, which have schooled him in how to exploit legal loopholes and evade accountability.

Brigham is well known for his deceptive, corners-cutting practices. In fact, Brigham’s abortion operation is so dangerous that the National Abortion Federation, an association of abortion clinics that are ironically known to be among the shoddiest, revoked his membership years ago.

There is ample evidence in Brigham’s record to conclude that Brigham has learned to use deception to skillfully manipulate employees, property managers, vendors, medical boards, health inspectors, administrative judges, and nearly everyone else. His now fading-good looks, charismatic personality, and ability to tell people exactly what they want to hear has kept him in business in spite of his troubles.

Brigham could easily be defined as a modern-day con man, huckster, and swindler.

The abortionists he hires to operate his facilities are a regular “rogue’s gallery” of misfits and criminals, some of whom he uses as unwitting pawns to keep the money flowing into his ever-growing spider-web of business entities that are used to conceal his true ownership and control from the authorities.

Yet, Brigham always seems to be in the midst of financial difficulties, unable or unwilling to pay his bills. This has resulted in multiple evictions and/or foreclosures on his office sites over the years.

Below are categorized facts related to Brigham’s misdeeds with links to broader articles and supporting documentation. Also included is a listing of abortionists he employs or has employed, along with links to documentation related to their own legal and disciplinary issues.

Licensing disgraces

Brigham was once licensed to practice medicine in six states: California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The chart below lists the status of his licenses in each state. Note that he currently has no active medical license in any state and is forbidden to practice medicine anywhere.

Brigham’s educational background is actually quite impressive. He graduated from MIT in 1978, and from Columbia Medical School in 1986. While in medical school, he served a two-month rotation in an emergency room. After graduation from Columbia, he served a one-year internship in the field of Internal Medicine.

Around 1990-1991, Brigham began to engage in the practice of abortion, something he found “rewarding” since he was “helping women.” However, evidence shows that he was unqualified to do them.

Almost immediately, Brigham ran afoul of licensing authorities.

Lied About Training in Abortion

Brigham testified under oath during a New York Medical Board disciplinary hearing that he had “extensive training in Ob/Gyn and abortion,” claiming he “completed a formal course of study at Planned Parenthood in New York City.”

He also falsely claimed he was an “emergency room physician,” even though he had never completed a residency in emergency medicine – or any other discipline – nor has he ever held a full-time position in an emergency room.

When the Florida Medical Board revoked Brigham’s license, their documents cited that Brigham’s medical training ended with a 1-year internship in Internal Medicine.

As far as his qualifications to conduct abortions, his so-called “training” in abortion procedures consisted of “limited interludes of observations of other physicians,” which could account for the egregious botched abortions he has been known to commit.

The NYMB Hearing Committee made the following shocking conclusions:

[Brigham] repeatedly exaggerated his medical training and skill. In both the acts established by the charges herein as well as his testimony, [Brigham] has demonstrated he lacks appropriate judgment and insight as to his own limitations. He routinely displayed a tendency to inflate and embellish the truth. . .[Brigham] later admitted he did not complete the course in first trimester abortion practice offered by Planned Parenthood, nor did he receive a certificate. Eventually, [Brigham] testified that what he referred to as special training in preparation for his activities in the abortion field consisted of limited interludes of observations of other physicians.
[See FL Revocation Order, page 5.]

Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation Aided Brigham

According to Real Choice, a pro-life blog that has conducted extensive research on the abortion industry, it was Planned Parenthood who recruited Brigham to become an abortionist in the first place.

Mark Brunhill is a now-deceased abortionist who formerly served as Medical Director of the Margaret Sanger Planned Parenthood in New York City. His association with Planned Parenthood dates back to 1965. He also served as Vice President of the National Abortion Federation.

Burnhill served as a witness on behalf of Brigham in 1996, and aided Brigham in getting his New Jersey medical license reinstated.

Brigham was a member of the National Abortion Federation and attended their annual meetings. Today, the NAF publicly condemns Brigham, and even has a warning about him on their web site.

Criminal Background

On February 10, 1998, Brigham was convicted in New York of one count Felony Scheme to Defraud and two counts of Misdemeanor Failure to File Corporate Taxes. He was sentenced to 120 days in the Albany County Penitentiary, placed on five years of probation, and ordered to pay nearly $30,000 in fines and restitution.

One California Medical Board disciplinary document alluded to the possibility that Brigham committed Medicaid fraud (receiving MediCal payments while his license was suspended), but Operation Rescue could find no confirmation that Brigham was ever criminally convicted of that charge.

Unlicensed Practice of Medicine

In September 2010, Brigham and an associate were involved in a seriously botched late-term abortion at a clandestine abortion facility in Elkton, Maryland. His suspicious behavior at the emergency room prompted hospital staff to call the police and a treating physician to file a complaint against him. That episode prompted criminal and administrative investigations that concluded Brigham had engaged in the unlicensed practice of medicine in Maryland, where he had never held a medical license. As a result, his New Jersey medical license – his last license – was revoked in 2014.

Operation Rescue has received numerous tips, despite the fact Brigham is unlicensed, that he may still be conducting abortions secretly. So far, Operation Rescue has been unable to independently verify these rumors. Nevertheless, given what we know about him through our extensive documentation and through information provided to us by confidential informants that know the man, it seems highly likely that the reports could be true.

Anyone with information that Brigham is indeed still practicing anywhere in the U.S., please contact Operation Rescue.

Raid, Arrest, and Multiple Murder Charges

Brigham was arrested on December 29, 2011, and charged in Cecil County, Maryland, with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of second-degree murder related to the discovery of 34 late-term aborted babies found by police in the bloody freezer at his clandestine Elkton facility. His associate, Nichola Riley of Utah, was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. The pair were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder. The charges are the result of a Grand Jury investigation into his illegal late-term abortion scheme involving New Jersey and Maryland.

While late-term abortions are not illegal in Maryland, those who kill viable babies killed in the commission of crimes can be charged with murder in that state. Unfortunately, an expert witness for the prosecution who would have testified that the babies died in Maryland, not New Jersey, pulled out of the case, resulting in the charges being dropped.

[Note: This is not a full listing of botched abortions committed by Brigham and his abortion accomplices. This also does not include the various women who have been injured or killed a the hands of Brigham’s cohorts.]

• New Jersey, July, 1992: In preparation for a 22-23-week abortion on a 22-year old woman Brigham inserted laminaria cervical dilators. When Brigham inserted the second round of luminaria dilators the next day, he ruptured the patient’s membranes. Instead of sending her to the hospital, as he should have, Brigham violated the standard of patient care by giving her antibiotics and instructing her to report to one of his New York clinics the following day for completion of her abortion. The patient, who rode home on a motorcycle, developed an infection that evening and was rushed to the emergency room where she was admitted into the hospital for treatment and delivery of her dead baby.

• New York, May 7-9, 1992: Brigham conducted a D&E abortion on a woman who was 24.5 weeks pregnant, during which he perforated her uterus and pulled out visible parts of the omentum (tissue that covers and supports the intestines). His unskilled use of forceps caused an 8-10 centimeter laceration of the posterior uterus, perforated the lower part of her colon, and damaged both ureters. Despite his patient’s obvious injuries, he continued the abortion. She was later transferred to a hospital where she arrived in shock required emergency surgery, including a colostomy.

• New York, November 10-11, 1993: Brigham conducted a D&E abortion on a 20-year old woman who was 26 weeks pregnant. During the abortion, Brigham lacerated her lower uterine segment, her posterior uterus, and uterine artery – probably due to the difficult extraction of the skull that had sharp “fetal skull plates. . . extruding from the side of the decompressed fetal skull.” Brigham ignored her profuse bleeding for four hours until he finally agreed to transfer her to the hospital, where she arrived in hypovolemic shock, a life-threatening condition that results from rapid loss of more than 20% of a body’s blood volume. She underwent a complete emergency hysterectomy.

Brigham was accused of failing to adequately dilate his patient’s cervix prior to attempting the dismemberment abortion on a 26-week baby, resulting in the internal injuries and failing to call for emergency care within an appropriate time frame. With the help of his own self-serving testimony, which was supported by testimony from other abortionists covering up for one of their own, Brigham was later found not to have violated the standard of care.

• New Jersey, October 26, 1993: Brigham conducted an abortion on a 14-year old girl who was six weeks pregnant. Because the patient was crying and anxious, Brigham pushed a “wad” of gauze in her mouth in order to prevent other patients from hearing her cry, and then proceeded to heavily sedate her. After her abortion, the teen’s condition appeared to alarm the attending nurse, whose account of the incident was — unsurprisingly — significantly different from Brigham’s. The patient was extremely drowsy, and her oxygen rate fell dangerously low. She had to be stimulated to take a deep breath. Once the patient was stabilized, the nurse strongly objected to Brigham for gagging his young patient and for other lapses in her care. Despite Brigham making extensive promises to her, she quit her employment with him in protest. However, due to witness testimony from other abortionists, Brigham was found not to have violated the standard of care.

• New Jersey, Date Unknown: Brigham conducted an abortion on a woman who was 11-12 weeks pregnant. Afterward, the patient complained of severe abdominal pain. Two days after the abortion, Brigham examined the patient, diagnosed her with a slight infection, prescribed antibiotics, and told her to return in two weeks. Still in horrific pain, the patient later sought help from a hospital emergency room where it was discovered that she had an abscess that was likely the result of a uterine perforation.

After the discovery of these incidents, on December 14, 1994, the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners ordered Brigham to halt the practice of medicine in the State of New Jersey. However, the testimony from other abortionists, including Planned Parenthood leader Burnhill, helped Brigham clear his license and resume his reckless abortion practice. Because of this, the number of abortion injuries attributable to Brigham only continued to swell.

• Maryland, August 9, 2010: Eighteen-year old D.B. reported to Brigham’s flagship abortion facility in Voorhees, New Jersey, to begin an abortion at 21.5 weeks of pregnancy. Even though Brigham had lost his New York medical license, in part, because he engaged in the practice of starting late-term abortions in one state and ending them in another, it didn’t stop Brigham from continuing the dangerous practice. D.B. was given drugs and taken by caravan with other patients to a secret abortion facility in Elkton, Maryland, to have the abortion completed. Brigham and his associate, Nicola Riley, began the abortion during which D.B.’s uterus was lacerated and part of her bowel was pulled out her vagina. D.B. was loaded into Brigham’s private vehicle and taken to a nearby hospital where Brigham and Riley acted so strangely that the hospital staff called the police. D.B. was Life-Flighted to a Baltimore hospital for emergency surgery that saved her life. [Read the full report on this incident.]

• Maryland, July 26, 2012: Christy O’Donnell probably had no idea what kind of shoddy enterprise Brigham was running when she reported to his Frederick, Maryland, abortion facility for a chemical abortion using the notoriously ineffective (but cheap) chemotherapy drug, Methotrexate. Predictably, the abortion failed. O’Connell continued her pregnancy, and in December 2012, she gave birth prematurely to a son who suffers multiple disabilities due to the drug she was given at Brigham’s abortion facility. She sued Brigham and two of his accomplices and won a monetary award of $6.5 million. [Read the full report on this incident.]

False Advertising

New Jersey Administrative Law Judge Joseph F. Fidler found Brigham guilty of professional misconduct for falsely advertising that his abortions up to 24 weeks were “safe, gentle, and painless.”

Today, despite its lengthy laundry list of patient safety and legal problems, Brigham’s American Women’s Services website boldly displays the logos and various organizations – including health departments in three states — that seem to have somehow put their stamp of approval on Brigham’s nefarious abortion businesses.

For example, the AWS website displays the logo of the Virginia Department of Health with a blurb about how their Virginia offices are “fully licensed” and “provide high quality medical care in a safe, kind, caring atmosphere while fully complying with all state and federal regulations.”

“In aggregate, the deficiencies pose a substantial threat to the safety of patients and staff of the Virginia Health Group,” wrote State Health Commissioner Marissa J. Levine in an April 6, 2016, letter notifying the facility of the immediate suspension of its abortion facility license.

Even Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, called Brigham out on his “threat to patient safety.”

“Evidence of wrongdoing at Brigham’s American Women’s Services facility in Fairfax is part of a clear pattern of repeated and serious misconduct that poses a significant threat to patient safety, and which cannot be allowed to go unchecked in Virginia,” wrote Saporta in a statement to the Washington Post.

The rest of the “credentials” listed on the AWS website are likely just as bogus.

Clinic Licensing, Leasing, Financial Issues, and a Patient Death

In 1992, Brigham was forced into “voluntary retirement” in Pennsylvania in order to halt a licensing investigation against him. He has been banned from operating or holding any interest in an abortion business in Pennsylvania since July 2010. Yet, he has illegally continued efforts to operate there. In 2013, Brigham opened Integrity Family Health in Philadelphia and employed abortionist Eric Yahav to work there. It was forced to closed by the state later that year after pro-life groups filed complaints linking Brigham to the facility.

All four of Brigham’s Maryland locations had their surgical facility licenses permanently suspended on May 9, 2013, after health inspectors found egregious violations, including a patient death and dangerously administering an injectable abortion drug by mouth. Nevertheless, three of the facilities never really closed and they continue selling medication abortions – the very thing that caused their surgical licenses to be revoked in the first place.

In September 2015, Brigham’s Premiere Ob/Gyn abortion facility in Wilmington, Delaware, was forced to halt surgical abortions after the Delaware Division of Public Health threatened to shut them down. He continued operating the facility by dispensing abortion drugs until he was finally evicted in March 2017, for non-payment of $37,000 in back rent, sticking the landlord with the unpaid bill.

These are just a few of the most recent examples of the most recent of Brigham’s facility licensing and dubious financial dealings. He has filed for bankruptcy numerous times over the years, leaving creditors high and dry. The most recent was a 2016 filing to avoid paying a monetary judgement of $6.5 million to a family in a malpractice case.

As Brigham was about to be evicted from his Delaware office for non-payment of rent, he opened Capital Women’s Services, a new abortion facility in Washington, D.C.

Operation Rescue first learned of the D.C. office through a confidential informant who was once close to Brigham.

Following the informant’s information, Operation Rescue located the office and spoke with a property leasing agent and confirmed in a phone conversation that Brigham was involved in leasing the office for his business operating under the name “Capital Women’s Services.”

The informant also provided information about the facility’s medical director, Myron Rose, who also works at Brigham’s Maryland abortion offices. In fact, Rose’s address listed on his Maryland medical license is a known Brigham abortion facility in Baltimore.

Once Operation Rescue published documentation of Brigham’s new abortion facility and Rose, the Capital Women’s Services placed a notice on its website in response to “anti-choice rumors” and “lies.” The notice stated that Brigham was not an owner of that facility, nor was he seeing patients at there. (Operation Rescue never claimed Brigham was seeing patients.)

However, Operation Rescue stands by its claims that Brigham owns the business, or at least controls it through the United Health Group, LLC, which was first registered on March 9, 2017. It is located at 100 Springdale Road #A3-101, Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08003. A google search of that address showed it belonged to a P.O. Box inside a UPS Store near Brigham’s Voorhees headquarters.

Operation Rescue would not have known about this new abortion office or Myron Rose if it had not been for information provided by the confidential informant’s details of Brigham’s business operations. This information completely debunks the Capital Women’s Services notice that attempts to distance itself from Brigham.

“Rogues Gallery”

The 22 abortionists who are or have been affiliated with Brigham abortion facilities have a laundry list of issues. The chart below summarizes them.

Washington, DC – Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and a founding member of the Center for Medical Progress, filed a petition yesterday to the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging the Constitutionality of a preliminary injunction that prohibits the release of undercover videos recorded at National Abortion Federation (NAF) meetings — even to law enforcement when they contain evidence of crimes.

This Petition stems from an injunction forbidding the voluntary disclosure to law enforcement agencies, other governmental bodies, and the general public of recordings and other information that the enjoined individuals and entities—as well as Congressional investigators—believe are evidence of widespread criminal, illegal, and unethical conduct, including felonies.

Newman is represented by Jay Sekulow, who leads Newman’s team of attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

During Newman’s tenure on the Board of the Center for Medical Progress, the NAF, and later Planned Parenthood, filed suits in a San Francisco Federal Court against Newman and others in an effort to prevent the release of further undercover videos that exposed the illegal trade in aborted baby body parts.

And it is little wonder that the NAF would not want the videos released.

Newman argues that the enjoined recordings corroborate the determination of the two Congressional investigations, which found evidence that NAF members (including several Planned Parenthood organizations) were engaged in the following criminal conduct:

It has long been a tenet of Anglo-American jurisprudence that individuals who believe that they have information concerning criminal or illegal activities should be permitted, and encouraged, to voluntarily provide such information to government authorities. Similarly, investigative journalism concerning matters of public concern, including the uncovering of illegal, unethical, or troubling activities, is a constitutionally protected, venerable undertaking.

Newman’s unsuccessful appeal to the Ninth Circuit was joined by state 14 Attorneys General, led by Arizona, who are seeking to review the evidence contained in the recordings.

As the most important abortion case currently under litigation, Newman v. NAF could have profound implications on the future use of undercover investigative techniques and the ability of law enforcement to gather evidence in criminal investigations.